Merit Competition Rules.

Senior and Junior Individual Merit Rules

GENERAL

1. Entry is open to male members of all directly affiliated Leagues and all directly affiliated Clubs providing that the individual possesses both BCGBA and Cheshire Life Membership cards, and in the case of the Junior Merit shall be confined to competitors who have not reached the age of 18 years on 1 January in the year of the competition.

2. A player shall only be allowed to enter the individual Merit Competitions in one County and if having played in the Inter-County Championships that season, cannot enter the Individual Merit Competitions in another County, or vice versa. Any violation of this rule will entail disqualification.

3. All rounds of the individual Merit Competitions must be played on greens of directly affiliated Clubs within the bowling boundaries of the County. Games of 21 up, played in accordance with the BCGBA Laws of the Game.

4. In the event of the number of players for the final day’s play becoming unmanageable the Management Council reserve the right to introduce other qualifying dates.

SENIOR MERIT QUALIFICATION

5. The Senior Merit will be played in League areas, and each League will be responsible for its own draw and play. League qualifying rounds to be played on or before a qualifying date to be decided at the Management Council annually; this date to be announced at the AGM prior to the year of the competition.

6. One in every 4 or greater part thereof to qualify for the final day’s play.

7. Entries on the approved form together with entrance fee as set by the Cheshire Management Council, to be sent by Club Secretaries to the appointed League Secretary who will conduct the qualifying rounds.

8. No player shall be allowed to play on a green of any Club of which he is a playing member or be allowed to enter in more than one area. Any violation of this rule will entail disqualification. Definition of a playing member: “One who pays a subscription to a Bowling Club or to a Bowling Section of a Social Club or is a member of an organisation which utilises the green of such Club or Section”.

9. After the announcement of the qualifying venues, no player to play upon the green prior to the qualifying rounds with the exception of any fixture (be it individual, pairs or team) that is either approved by the BCGBA as an open contest or forms part of the County fixtures or those of a directly affiliated League. Any violation of this rule will entail disqualification.

10. League Secretaries must send all entry forms along with the entrance fees, together with the full names and addresses of all their qualifiers to the County Secretary by Wednesday noon following the Leagues qualifying date.

JUNIOR MERIT QUALIFICATION

11. Entries showing both names and addresses of entrants to be made on the approved form together with entrance fee as set by the Cheshire Management Council each to be sent to the County Secretary to arrive by the date stated on the entry form.

12. Subject to Rule 4 above, there will be no qualifying as such and the Competition will be played as a one day event.

FINAL DAYS (BOTH SENIOR AND JUNIOR)

13. The Final day venue will be chosen by the selected League on the approved rota and must be approved by the Management Council.

14. No player shall be allowed to play on a green of any Club of which he is a playing member. Any violation of this rule will entail disqualification. Definition of a playing member: “One who pays a subscription to a Bowling Club or to a Bowling Section of a Social Club or is a member of an organisation which utilises the green of such Club or Section”.

15. With the exceptions shown in Rule 8 above and playing members (see definition in Rule 7 above) no player to play on the green of the final venue after they have qualified in the Senior Merit, or in the case of the Junior Merit the closing date for entries into the competition. Any violation of this rule will entail disqualification.